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Title

Conditional bootstrap methods for censored data.

Creator

Kim, Ji-Hyun., Florida State University

Abstract/Description

We first consider the random censorship model of survival analysis. The pairs of positive random variables ($X\sb{i},Y\sb{i}$), i = 1,$\...$,n, are independent and identically distributed, with distribution functions F(t) = P($X\sb{i} \leq\ t$) and G(t) = P($Y\sb{i} \leq\ t$) and the Y's are independent of the X's. We observe only ($T\sb{i},\delta\sb{i}$), i = 1,$\...$,n, where $T\sb{i}$ = min($X\sb{i},Y\sb{i}$) and $\delta\sb{i}$ = I($X\sb{i} \leq\ Y\sb{i}$). The X's represent survival times... Show moreWe first consider the random censorship model of survival analysis. The pairs of positive random variables ($X\sb{i},Y\sb{i}$), i = 1,$\...$,n, are independent and identically distributed, with distribution functions F(t) = P($X\sb{i} \leq\ t$) and G(t) = P($Y\sb{i} \leq\ t$) and the Y's are independent of the X's. We observe only ($T\sb{i},\delta\sb{i}$), i = 1,$\...$,n, where $T\sb{i}$ = min($X\sb{i},Y\sb{i}$) and $\delta\sb{i}$ = I($X\sb{i} \leq\ Y\sb{i}$). The X's represent survival times, the Y's represent censoring times. Efron (1981) proposed two bootstrap methods for the random censorship model and showed that they are distributionally the same. Akritas (1986) established the weak convergence of the bootstrapped Kaplan-Meier estimator of F when bootstrapping is done by this method. Let us now consider bootstrapping more closely. Suppose that we wish to estimate the variance of F(t). If we knew the Y's then we would condition on them by the ancillarity principle, since the distribution of the Y's does not depend on F. That is, we would want to estimate Var$\{$F(t)$\vert Y\sb1,\...,Y\sb{n}\}$. Unfortunately, in the random censorship model we do not see all the Y's. If $\delta\sb{i}$ = 0 we see the exact value of $Y\sb{i}$, but if $\delta\sb{i}$ = 1 we know only that $Y\sb{i} > T\sb{i}$. Let us denote this information on the Y's by ${\cal C}$. Thus, what we want to estimate is Var$\{$F(t)$\vert{\cal C}\}$. Efron's scheme is appropriate for estimating the unconditional variance. We propose a new bootstrap method which provides an estimate of Var$\{$F(t)$\vert{\cal C}\}$., In this research we show that the Kaplan-Meier estimator of F formed by the new bootstrap method has the same limiting distribution as the one by Efron's approach. The results of simulation studies assessing the small sample performance of the two bootstrap methods are reported. We also consider the model in which the $X\sb{i}$'s are censored by the $Y\sb{i}$'s and also by known fixed constants, and propose an appropriate bootstrap method for that model. This bootstrap method is a readily modified version of the new bootstrap method above. Show less